Health Matters
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Guilt-free holiday eating
When I was very little, my great aunt Zeta and grandma Gladys would host dueling bake-offs during the holidays.
Our kitchen counter would be hidden by an acreage of peanut butter fudge, cheesecake, pumpkin pie, lemon bars and the like and the temptation to give in ruined many a diet.
Years later we were horrified to discover that my grandma’s prized peanut butter cookies were so tasty thanks to the 1/2 cup of shortening that went into every batch.
The holidays can be a tempting time of year, especially for those aiming to maintain their weight or shed some pounds.
The vegetable platter just doesn’t look as appealing when there’s a pile of sugary sweets nearby, but have one slice of pie and it seems like things are downhill from there (“I was already bad. What more can another slice hurt?”).
Bringing along a secret weapon – a platter of modestly healthier treats that can satiate your craving while keeping you from diving head-first into the chocolate cocoa – may be just the thing to help you stay on track.
Aunt Zeta always provided one of these escape hatches at our holiday fêtes, bringing along something that just about anyone could nibble on guilt-free.
Her Uncooked Chocolate Cookies were sweet and pungently filled with cocoa, but the oatmeal and coconut that held them together gave them the filling bulk of fiber.
Eat two or three of the little things and you wouldn’t be tempted by much else until the turkey popped out of the oven.
The days of those holiday bake-offs are long gone now. Aunt Zeta passed away three years ago, but her recipes remain a family legacy, and in the spirit of holiday offerings, I’ll pass this one along to you:
Aunt Zeta’s Uncooked Chocolate Cookies
1 c. white sugar
1/3 c. cocoa
1 cube butter
1/2 c. milk
3 c. instant oatmeal
1 t. vanilla
1 c. coconut
1 c. chopped nuts
maraschino cherries
Step One: Mix sugar, cocoa, butter and milk in a saucepan, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Bring mixture to a hard boil and add oatmeal, removing from fire immediately.
Step Two: Stir in vanilla, coconut and chopped nuts and drop teaspoon-sized globs onto wax paper. When the cookie tops are dry, press 1/2 maraschino cherry into the center of each cookie.
